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Of full rain barrels and unwanted pests.

Weather update in Calgary: it’s still raining. It would be okay to feel this coastal, I guess, except for the fact that we’re lacking a nearby ocean. So, really, it’s not okay at all. But we’re a chipper lot here – I can’t tell you how many times this week that I heard people announce, quite cheerfully, “At least my rain barrels are full!” I went out this morning in the persistent drizzle and planted an ‘Aunt Molly’ ground cherry seedling that I had started indoors a couple of months ago – of course, I am completely aware that we’ll have frost right around the time the fruits are ripening on the plant (that is, assuming it even survives to bear fruit), but I simply have to make an attempt. It’s “rain barrel-full” optimism!

On a slightly less positive note, the rain will bring with it some additional problems; once the weather clears and the summer heat begins (see, there’s that optimism again!), we’re going to notice all kinds of “pest issues” in our gardens and our homes. A quick hunt on the ‘net brings with it some interesting pest control strategies…let me know if you’ve tried any of these, or if they’re simply myths:

To repel ants– shave off slices of fresh cucumber and place them around the affected locations. The ants hate cucumber and will usually beat a hasty exit. I’ve actually done this and I found that some of the ants didn’t retreat; instead, they climbed onto the cucumbers and sort of floundered around until they died. I then picked up the cuke chunks and threw them out. It didn’t take long before my ant infestation came to an end. This one really works.

To get rid of mosquitoes in your outdoor living room/kitchen: throw a handful of sage or rosemary sprigs on your barbeque coals while you’re grilling. The smoke and scent will keep the moskies away and you’ll have extra flavour for your meats and veggies. I’ve never tried this, but it’s a great tip for us Canadians, ‘cos we have mosquitoes here as big as houses.

For slugs: run a line of ground ginger along the perimeter of plants you want to protect. Slugs hate the stuff, it irritates them. Used coffee grounds work the same way, supposedly. I’ve yet to find a slug in my garden (please don’t let this be the year), so I’ve never attempted either remedy.

If you have black flies, try crushing some fresh mint and placing it in cheesecloth bags around the house, especially near windowsills and doors. If it doesn’t work, you can always use the mint to make mojitos!!! (Rain barrel-full, I’m telling you!). 🙂

To make moths stay out of your closets and dressers, put cinnamon sticks or cloves in a cheesecloth satchet and place them inside the furniture. It will smell great and is definitely not as toxic as moth balls. Has anyone tried this?

If you’ve got a problem with sowbugs and you can’t seem to get them out of all of the nooks and crannies of your house foundation, go and get yourself some big cobs of fresh, juicy corn. Grill up the corn on the barbeque, slather some herb butter on it, and enjoy it with a nice beef/bison/elk steak/roasted eggplant. Then take the gnawed-on cobs and set them on the ground along the perimeter of the house. The sowbugs will be attracted to the corn and you can just collect the cobs and throw them in a bucket of soapy water to kill the bugs. Again, I’m not plagued with sowbugs – does this seem like a good strategy to you?

In the war against aphids, make a foliar spray out of water and chopped potato or tomato leaves (plants of the Solanaceae family have poisonous leaves) or the leaves of rhubarb or elderberries (which contain high concentrations of toxic oxalic acid). This seems like it should work, but I wonder how many applications you have to make?

If earwigs are a bother, try placing shallow bowls filled with soy sauce and vegetable oil at the base of the affected plants. The insects will fall in and drown. If anyone knows if this solution works, please let me know. I’m still confused as to whether or not earwigs are naturally clumsy and can’t hang onto the plants they’re munching on…. 😉

If you are plagued with hares, as I am, you can try sprinkling flour on young seedlings or garlic powder on mature plants – the long-ears won’t touch them. This remains to be seen – I will definitely test this and keep you updated.

Starting your own seeds? Apparently you can brew up some chamomile tea and use it to irrigate your young seedlings (instead of mere H2O) – the chamomile will help prevent fusarium wilt (damping off). This is one I simply must try! As well, you can make a foliar spray out of chamomile, which will combat powdery mildew.

Speaking of powdery mildew, supposedly if you mix equal parts of water and milk and spray it on the affected plants, the mildew will eventually go away. I guess you have to do this repeatedly, however, and wait a whole week in between sprays, so the whole process is probably lengthier than most people would care for. What do you think?

Here are some websites to try for more down-home pest control remedies (and related topics):

(As most of these articles point out, you have to apply any pest control solution with caution. And, of course, remember that some of these remedies aren’t tested and true – and certainly not scientific!).

There are a million other home remedies like these for home owners and gardeners – do you have any particular ones that you use in your own garden?

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9 thoughts on “Of full rain barrels and unwanted pests.”

What a great post! Have heard of the garlic trick and cinnamon for moths too. But no idea if they work! I will try chamomile if my zucchini get mildew again, and wonder if the ginger works on snails as well as slugs! Have also heard the water you boil your potatoes in – or potato peel laid in water – is good against aphids. Again, have yet to try it!
Thanks for sharing!

Thank you! I love your tip about the potato water; that’s much easier than steeping the leaves in water to make a spray (especially if you’re not growing potatoes). If you try the ginger thing with the snails, please let me know how it turns out – it would be interesting to know if repels them as well as slugs. And hopefully you won’t have cause to try the chamomile trick with mildew, but if you do, I’d love to hear if it works. Have a great weekend! 🙂

The milk absolutely works for the powdery mildew, and if you water the tomato plants with it, they will LOVE it. I also sprinkle around the plants with cornmeal, and I no longer have any mildew or blight problems in any of my plants. Hope this helps! 🙂

Oh, that’s fantastic to know about the milk and the powdery mildew – so pleased to hear that it really works! And the cornmeal tip is great, too, thanks so much for passing that along! It’s a good preventative measure, plus it’s inexpensive and most people already have it in their pantry. I really appreciate that you’ve stopped by my blog! 🙂

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